The big
match-up to watch is Reggie Williams vs. Chris Gamble. Two
Heisman Trophy candidates will be vying for national spotlight
in the national spotlight. Okay, but what about the rest?
That'll be the difference. The Huskies are a little thin at
WR, but have one of the best QBs in the nation. The best way
to beat Cody Pickett is to collapse around him and force him
into unwanted situations. The Buckeyes, with one of the country's
best defensive lines, will consequently beat back the Huskie's
passing attack. Pickett should get just enough protection,
but the majority of his success will have to come on post
patterns, TE run routes, and hook/curl zones throws. The Buckeye
LBs are all adept at defending the pass, and Pickett will
find that out the hard way in the early going. I see Cowboy
Cody putting up big yardage, but his performance will be marred
by a few INTs and a low TD total. The inexperienced Buckeye
safeties will see a lot of work in the deep-middle, and in
turn get burned a few times - only natural. Also, look for
Washington "Athlete" (and reserve QB) Isaiah Stanback
to be inserted for some sort of trick play to catch the Buckeyes
off-guard. They'll need something to throw off the strong
OSU pass rush.

Ohio State Pass vs. Washington Pass Defense
Edge: Ohio State

Interestingly
enough, I'll take the Buckeyes in this category. The passing
game has been tweaked this off-season and has shown some encouraging
results. Craig Krenzel was a pretty accurate passer, making
his living by throwing low-risk passes and letting his receivers
do the dirty work- and ya know what? It works! We'll see the
emergence of Santonio Holmes, Bam Childress, and Drew Carter,
only adding to the stardom of Michael Jenkins. Throw this
in - with the TE assets the Buckeyes carry - and Washington
will have its' hands full. Krenzel is a smart QB, so allowing
him to sit in the pocket behind such a strong offensive line
will just eat away at any defense. The Huskies should employ
some man-to-man press with their quick, physical corners,
thus baiting Krenzel into throwing over the top and hoping
their safeties can be there when the ball arrives. With or
without Clarett, I think this is the Buckeyes' strongpoint
(in this game) and will ultimately be the poison that does
in the Huskies.

Washington Run vs. Ohio State Run Defense
BIG Edge: Ohio State

The Huskies
are still looking for a true number one running back. Freshmen
Kenny James and Shelton Sampson appear the front-runners,
with former starter Rich Alexis in at #3. The Huskies' 2002
rushing offense was repulsive, averaging only 2.1 ypc (out
of 117 I-A teams, one of only six that didn't reach 1000 rushing
yards as a team!) Pickett needs much better production from
the men behind him if he is to beat this defense. Don't expect
any miracles. If experienced, star-studded backs struggled
against not-as-good-a unit last year, what hope does a pair
of redshirt freshmen have? Kenny James will be a good back,
but he'll have quite the initiation. I revert back to the
Isaiah Stanback insertion in that the Huskies will get his
athleticism on the field and we could see a bit of option
work from him against this defense, especially in the red
zone. Expect to hear a lot of the "Buckeye Battle Cry"
(you'll know what I mean when you hear it) produced by some
TFLs in this dimension.

Ohio State Run vs. Washington Run DefenseSlight Edge: Ohio State

You lose
Maurice Clarett, you lose a force in the run game, no matter
how good Ross and Hall are. I think the big edge for the Buckeyes
in this area is the offensive line. Four starters come back
up front and the non-starter, Rob Sims, saw a considerable
game time in 2002. They will create the necessary push needed
to get that couple of yards each down. The Huskies faired
extremely well against the run (ranked 11th in 2002), allowing
only 2.8 ypc, and did not give up more than 158 yards in a
single game. What should help the Buckeyes at times will be
the balance and uncertainty that the improved passing attack
brings, which will force the Huskies to spread out defenders
and keep them from crowding the box. Hall and Ross have both
been bothered by injuries and could be a step slower than
expected. That accepted, we should see true frosh Ira Guilford
thrust into action in the late stages of the first quarter.
OSU only carries a slight edge in the running realm. So, again,
the passing game will need to be the variable that makes the
offense flow. If poor, the running game will suffer, too.

Special Teams
Edge: Ohio State

The Buckeyes
bring more experience and talent in their special teams units
than the Huskies and therefore have the edge. Mike Nugent
has proven his consistency and strength. Santonio Holmes and
Bam Childress are fantastic kick returners, and Gamble adds
a breakaway PR to the mix. The Bucks of late have spent a
healthy amount of attention to blocking kicks and have done
so adequately in practice. With Washington breaking in a walk-on
punter and having an equal inexperienced kicker, I expect
a block somewhere along the way. Who'll be the man to do so?
Look for Drew Carter or Derek Fox.

Final Thoughts
At the end of spring, this game was setting up to possibly
be The Game of the Year. A gambling-induced firing and an
academic scandal-illegal gift investigation later, this national
spotlight spectacle has diminished to just a key non-conference
matchup. Still, this Pac 10 - Big Ten grudge match will give
us a fine start to the season. Ohio State will set the tone
early and carry a two TD lead into the half. Pickett will
be controlled in the first half, but you can bet he will figure
a way to eventually get past the OSU secondary. Looks like
it will be too little too late, though. Ohio State is tougher
up front and should get to Pickett many times. And Washington's
lack of a run game will have them trying to get out of too
many second- and third-down(s) and long to succeed enough
to win. Even without Clarett, the Buckeyes' offense will run
smoothly and we will see the beginning of a more open passing
game from OSU. Herbie will be smilin' after this one, seeing
his Buckeyes string up them Huskies in "The Shoe".